Youngsters pick up free school supplies

By Andrea Howry, Lighthouse editor

4:29 PM, Jul 24, 2013

Emma Campos, 5, picks out a package of lined paper during the Back to School Brigade put on Saturday, July 20, by Operation Homefront in the Fleet & Family Support Center at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Port Hueneme. Emma is the daughter of Melissa and AC1 Osvaldo Campos of NBVC Point Mugu Air Operations.

Photo by Andrea Howry / Lighthouse

About 250 youngsters who’ll be headed back to school in a few weeks picked out a free backpack and loaded it up with school supplies of their own choosing as Operation Homefront brought its yearly Back to School Brigade to Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Saturday, July 20.

Families filled the lobby of the Fleet & Family Support Center at NBVC Port Hueneme from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. while the school-age youngsters made their way around a horseshoe of tables, selecting a backpack first, then filling it with a binder, one package each of colored pencils and crayons, two erasers, two packages of lined paper, two glue sticks, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a highlighter, a pencil pouch, a pencil sharpener, 12 pens, two pocket folders, a ruler, two spiral notebooks, a package of markers and 12 wooden pencils.

Program Manager Breanna Anderson estimated the value of each full backpack at about $75.

“I’m sure it’s so hard on families when it comes to school time,” she said.

Many families have more than one school-age child, she said, noting that one family that pre-registered had six.

“I’m so pleased that families are getting what they need,” she said. “And they can pick up everything on base, in an area they’re familiar with and can get to easily. That makes it so much easier.”

Melissa Campos brought her three youngsters to the event. Emma, 5, and Desiree, 12, were getting plenty of help from their 2-year-old brother, Jordan.

“They enjoy coming and picking everything out themselves,” said Campos, whose spouse is Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Osvaldo Campos of NBVC Point Mugu Air Operations. “They’re making these decisions on their own.”

She agreed that having a one-stop spot made back-to-school shopping easier.

“Everything’s here,” she said. “We don’t need to search through all the aisles looking for everything.”

Master-at-Arms 1st Class Nicholas Jackson of NBVC Force Protection volunteered to help the children pick out their supplies.

“This is awesome,” he said as a student pawed through spiral notebooks, looking for the perfect cover design. “Anything that helps the kids get a fresh start on the school year is good stuff.”